HOCKEY

Blackhawks, Bruins meet for Cup for 1st time

CHICAGO — Two franchises, rich in history, talent and star power. Two winning teams that know what it takes to bring home the Stanley Cup. Intrigue, in the form of a schedule that kept them away from each other for an entire season.

Oh, there's plenty to love about this series.

The Stanley Cup finals kick off Wednesday night when the Chicago Blackhawks host the Boston Bruins in the first finals matchup of Original Six franchises since Montreal beat the New York Rangers in five games way back in 1979.

The mighty Blackhawks, winners of seven of the last eight games, have a deep roster that really found its identity when pushed to the limit by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round. Then there are the playoff-tested Bruins, who rolled over favored Pittsburgh during an impressive sweep that gave them a chance for a second NHL title in three seasons.

It's a gift wrapped in a bow for a league still trying to recover from a bitter lockout that wiped out 510 games and pushed the start of the season back to Jan. 19.

"It's a special couple places, the tradition of the Bruins and the Hawks is special," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "I'm sure, you know, the rivalry could return instantly come Game 1. I think it's good for the league. It's good for hockey. We're very excited to be a part of it."

Chicago advanced with a 4-3 double-overtime victory over Los Angeles on Saturday night, using a hat trick from Patrick Kane to eliminate the defending champion Kings in five games in the Western Conference finals. Back in the Stanley Cup series for the first time since 2010, the Blackhawks are in search of another title to pair with their victory over Philadelphia three years ago.

"Everyone has that drive to win the Cup," Chicago forward Andrew Shaw said. "It's going to be a long road ahead here. It's surreal. I've wanted this since I was a kid. I'm excited to get started."

Boston is rolling again after losing its spot atop the Northeast Division in the final days of the regular season. The Bruins have won five in a row and nine of 10, boosted by a familiar group of stars who led the way when they won it all in 2011. David Krejci scored four times in the Pittsburgh sweep and leads Boston with nine goals and 12 assists in the playoffs.

"The excitement is there," Bruins coach Claude Julien said on Sunday. "You've heard people say, 'Once you've been there, you want to go back.' It's true, we really want to go back; we made it happen. We're excited about it and we also know what kind of challenge lies ahead for us. It's about acknowledging that and being ready for it."

While Boston and Chicago have kept an eye on each other for a while now, there's no way for either team to grab a real hold on what to expect at the very beginning of the series. That's because the abbreviated 48-game schedule because of the lockout included no games against teams from the other conference.

"I think all the information is out there for both teams to understand how we both play," Julien said. "There's no secrets there. Again, like I said, it's only the head to head, how the two teams are kind of going to clash, what's going to happen when we do. It's as simple as that."

Griffins take 2-0 Calder Cup lead

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A wild six-goal second period was highlighted by a tally given minutes after the game had continued didn’t deter the Grand Rapids Griffins in taking a two-game series lead in the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Final.

Six players from the Detroit Red Wings’ Triple-A affiliate scored in the Griffins 6-4 win over the Syracuse Crunch on Sunday night.

With Grand Rapids leading 4-3 in the second, Syracuse’s J.T. Brown was awarded a goal after a stoppage in play with 1:37 remaining. Referees determined that his shot earlier in his shift had gone into the net and out the back through a hole in the net.

Francis Pare scored 26 seconds later to give the Griffins what would be the game-winning goal.

Former Toledo Walleye goaltender Petr Mrazek finished with 30 saves.

Grand Rapids will play the next three contests at home beginning Wednesday.

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